Asked by: Lord Naseby (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask His Majesty's Government what are their reasons for not entering into a contract with Rolls-Royce on small modular reactors.
Answered by Lord Callanan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government has awarded up to £210m from the Advanced Nuclear Fund to Rolls Royce SMR Ltd to support the development of their Small Modular Reactor design.
The Government intends to initiate a selection process in 2023, with the intention that we will enter negotiations with the most credible projects to enable a potential Government award of support as soon as possible.
Asked by: Daniel Kawczynski (Conservative - Shrewsbury and Atcham)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, if he will discuss with Rolls Royce SMR Ltd his plan for procurement of small modular reactors.
Answered by Andrew Bowie - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government has awarded up to £210m from the Advanced Nuclear Fund to Rolls Royce SMR Ltd to support the development of their Small Modular Reactor design.
As outlined in the British Energy Security Strategy, the Government intends to initiate a selection process in 2023, with the intention that we will enter negotiations with the most credible projects to enable a potential Government award of support as soon as possible.
Asked by: Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask His Majesty's Government what investment they are making in nuclear energy.
Answered by Lord Callanan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government has invested £700m to develop the Sizewell C project – the first state backing for a nuclear project in over 30 years.
The Government is investing in new nuclear, launching the £120m Future Nuclear Enabling Fund as well as the £75m Nuclear Fuel Fund to develop existing and future fuel capabilities.
The Advanced Nuclear Fund of up to £385m is funding Small Modular Reactors (SMR) and Advanced Modular Reactors. Up to £210m of this is helping to develop the Rolls Royce SMR design. The Fund is also supporting an AMR Research Development & Demonstration competition.
Asked by: John Healey (Labour - Wentworth and Dearne)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many engine types the Army's Boxer vehicles are equipped with.
Answered by Alex Chalk - Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice
All British Army Boxer vehicles will be equipped with the same Rolls-Royce engine type.
Asked by: Chi Onwurah (Labour - Newcastle upon Tyne Central)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps his Department is taking to minimise the risk of relying on too few technologies to deliver the 24GW nuclear generation by 2050 target by supporting a diverse range of advanced nuclear technologies.
Answered by Graham Stuart
The Government is pursuing large-scale nuclear whilst also investing in Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) and Advanced Modular Reactors (AMRs).
In addition to supporting the construction of Hinkley Point C, the Government has invested £700m into the Sizewell C project – the first state backing for a nuclear project in over 30 years.
The up to £385m Advanced Nuclear Fund is funding SMRs and AMRs. Up to £210m of this is helping to develop the Rolls Royce Small Modular Reactor design. The Fund is also supporting an AMR Research Development & Demonstration competition.
Asked by: Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask His Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the contractual contributions to the construction of small nuclear reactors that they will have made by 2025.
Answered by Lord Callanan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government has not made contractual commitments to the constructors of Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) and no SMR projects have yet reached Final Investment Decision (FID) or begun construction.
However, the Government has committed up to £385m for R&D through the Advanced Nuclear Fund, including up to £210m for Rolls Royce SMR Ltd, to develop further their design for one of the world’s first Small Modular Reactors.
In 2023, the Government intends to run a selection process to identify projects, including SMRs, that might reach FID in the next Parliament.
Asked by: Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask His Majesty's Government what contractual commitments they have made to the constructors of small modular nuclear reactors to date.
Answered by Lord Callanan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government has not made contractual commitments to the constructors of Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) and no SMR projects have yet reached Final Investment Decision (FID) or begun construction.
However, the Government has committed up to £385m for R&D through the Advanced Nuclear Fund, including up to £210m for Rolls Royce SMR Ltd, to develop further their design for one of the world’s first Small Modular Reactors.
In 2023, the Government intends to run a selection process to identify projects, including SMRs, that might reach FID in the next Parliament.
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, whether Rolls-Royce has been granted an exception or licence to sell luxury cars in Russia.
Answered by Nigel Huddleston - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
Between 14 April 2022 and 30 September 2022, the Export Control Joint Unit (ECJU) has not issued licences by exception for the export of luxury fashion items or cars for these specific companies to Russia. This is the latest period published in the Official Export Control Statistics.
Information on Russia Sanctions relating to luxury goods (as specified in Schedule 3A to the Regulations) can be found here:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/russia-sanctions-guidance/russia-sanctions-guidance
The Government takes the enforcement of sanctions very seriously, and any UK person or company anywhere in the world that is selling or exporting sanctioned goods to Russia, directly or indirectly, may be in breach of sanctions law and potentially faces a heavy fine or imprisonment.
Asked by: John Spellar (Labour - Warley)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what support his Department provides for the development of British based nuclear (a) small and (b) advanced modular reactors.
Answered by Graham Stuart
The Government has committed up to £385m to an Advanced Nuclear Fund. Of this, £210m has been awarded to support development of the Rolls Royce Small Modular Reactor (SMR) design, potentially capable of deployment in the UK in the early 2030s. The Rolls-Royce SMR entered the Generic Design Assessment process in March becoming the first SMR to begin UK nuclear regulation. The Advanced Nuclear Fund also supports AMRs. Phase B of the open AMR R&D competition launched in December 2022 to provide up to £55 million to fund up to two different projects to develop detailed FEED+ studies.
Asked by: Michael Fabricant (Conservative - Lichfield)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what recent assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the Rolls Royce small modular reactor; and whether he has plans to use them for energy generation.
Answered by Graham Stuart
The Government has awarded up to £210m to support development of the Rolls Royce Small Modular Reactor (SMR) design. The Rolls-Royce SMR entered the Generic Design Assessment process in April becoming the first SMR to begin UK nuclear regulation.
As outlined in the British Energy Security Strategy, the Government intends to initiate a selection process in 2023 for the next nuclear projects, including SMRs.